A Ridgecrest police report released last week from Kern County sheds light on the ongoing legal saga between Ridgecrest resident William Dale Howard and the City of Ridgecrest.

The police report, compiled by Ridgecrest Police Capt. Paul Wheeler on Aug. 14, summarizes the results of an investigations conducted by RPD and code enforcement officers over more than two years, including reports by former Code Enforcement Officer Bob Smith.

The Kern County District Attorney's office filed 13 misdemeanor counts against Howard on Nov. 29 and was officially served with a warrant on Dec. 3.

Twelve counts were for allegedly violating Section 372 of the California Penal Code for maintaining a public nuisance and one count of the city's municipal code for violating land use in relation to maintaing peacocks in a residential area.

This charges came following a failure to follow a 60-day notice issued Aug. 15 by the DA's office for Howard to abate the nuisance caused by the alleged blight his properties caused.

The charges were filed more than a month after the deadline expired, but at that time Howard was running for a seat on Ridgecrest's city council, though he ultimately lost.

Wheeler's Aug. report details that he, two detectives and city officials took part in the most recent warrant search on Aug. 14.

Junkyards are not permitted in the city's single-family residential areas like Mayo Street and Porter Street.

The report also indicates that at least one of the lots Howard's possessions lay on a lot owned by Peter Loy Lam. The RPD report indicates that Howard maintains he acquired the lot from Loy Lam through trade process.

While Howard's possessions occupy the land, the report said MetroScan property listings do not show Howard as the registered owner. This constituted grounds for trespassing violations.

Report details indicate that the twelve properties Howard faces misdemeanor charges over all possess scrap metal, debris and vehicles of various states of disrepair, and 26 sea containers.

Five cargo containers surround one of the listed properties on Mayo Street, while others occupy the interiors of the various lots.

The police report indicates that Howard had commented that former Code Enforcement Officer Bob Smith had granted him permission to place a few sea cargo containers on his property in Sept. 2007. The report said this was invalid under the city's municipal code in retaliation to permits, certificates and licenses. Smith had no authority to grant the permission, the report states.

During the course of the warrant search, the report notes one instance where Ridgecrest Police Det. Ron Bell was photographing two sea vans when Howard approached Wheeler. The two sea vans were noted as being furnished and on a property containing large amounts of scrap metal.

Page 2 of 2 - "Mr. Howard approached me and asked why I was so interested in his grandchildren's playhouse," the police report stated. Wheeler's report indicated it would be potentially very hazardous for children to play in that area.

Howard confirmed Monday that at least one sea cargo container was set up as a playhouse.

"I have one of them set up as a playhouse," Howard told the Daily Independent. Howard declined to comment further on the report, saying he had learned nothing new about the case against him.

The report also indicates that the lot Howard's residence occupies contain massive amounts of rotting vegetable used to feed chickens, pigeons and peacocks.

"Along with the illegal animals came large, odiferous quantities of animal feces and the smell of rotting vegetable matter," the report states. Wheeler notes at various points in his report of complaints from neighbors because of the peacocks' howling.

During past interviews with the Daily Independent, Howard has maintained he is entitled to keep main peacocks on his property, as he has done since 1959, before Ridgecrest was incorporated as a city.

However, the municipal code does not provide for peacocks or other animals of a farming nature to occupy residential lands.

Overall, Wheeler's report notes 26 sea cargo containers on 12 lots "creating compounds surrounding the lots," 30 vehicles in various states of disrepair, and what is estimated to be more than 200 tons of scrap metal, in addition to the peacocks and rotten vegetable matter.

"There are 200-plus violations of City and State law perpetrated by Mr. Howard on these lots on a daily basis," Wheeler concludes in his report.

Community Impact

The police report details a large concern from Howard's alleged public nuisance, especially regarding property values in the neighborhood.

According to the report, Palomino detailed the struggle to sell a home on South Sims Street, saying it took forever to move and had to be eventually rented out.

In the report, Palomino also indicated that the home values could be anywhere between 30 to 50 percent less than what they were worth. She pointed out that it would be hard to move the properties because of the impact on the houses' resale value.

Capt. Wheeler also includes two interviews where both residents expressed concern that "the current condition of the Howard properties will have a negative effect on the property value of their homes if they choose to sell them."

The report also indicates that the two residents interviewed by RPD said their main concern at the moment were "the peacocks running loose in the neighborhood from the Howard properties." Both men indicated the peacocks are loud at all hours of the day and night and chase children and cats.